Might of One EP 2: Into the West
by SoulsSwords
Summary: Natsu's long journey to find her mother has begun in the great lands of China. Meanwhile, a young lady longing for battle has had enough of her oppressing mother.
1. A Young Lady

A young lady sat in her room surrounded by silk wrapping paper and unopened boxes. Being the daughter of a general, she received many gifts, which she didn't necessarily _like_. It was July 4, 1608. Just 3 days away from her actual birthday. The young Chinese girl would be 15. A woman.

She sighed in annoyance, "Did father have to have the _entire army _give me gifts?" she asked herself picking up a small blue box with a card that said **对于雷****霞**, for Leixia. Her mother Xianghua was with her, sorting the boxes neatly on the dresser,

"Well of course!" she cheerfully answered, "He just wants his daughter to feel special on the biggest birthday of her life." She was too bubbly for Leixia's liking in that particular moment. "Are you going to open any?"

Leixia put the blue box down to pick up a much larger red box, "Probably not." She had her long hair up in Chinese braids, it often got in the way of everything whether she was reading or fighting. Leixia's mother Xianghua was one of the Emperor's swordsmen. In Peking, not too far from where they lived in Luoyang, she was an Imperial guard sent to find the "Hero's Sword" which ended up being the malevolent Soul Edge. Xianghua had told her all of her adventures and even encouraged Leixia to travel the lands. Her father however, Yan Wujin, was an army general, and Leixia was more admiring of the fighting world rather than the fondness of the lands her mother had seen.

She remembered jumping for joy the day her father gifted her with a sword named Ten Feet of Blue on her 13th birthday. She was willing to go through the grueling and intense training, despite being talked down on by the male soldiers.

"You're so cute." They'd say,

"How about a kiss?"

"I can't believe you're allowed in the army even though you're so cute."

While any other girl would be flattered, Leixia wasn't amused, "If you call me 'cute' one more time, I'll make you unqualified for the army!" She threatened. This didn't stop any of their advances, it sickened her. One boy in particular just made her nauseas with the sound of his name, and she was reading the message on the gift right now.

**对于雷****霞****, ****你看起来很可****爱****. **"For Leixia, you'd look cute in this. From Bohai." She groaned in disgust. Bohai was the most persistent in the "romantic" advances. She looked in the box to see a blue, tight, and short dress. No way was she going to be wearing that anytime soon. She closed it and put it under her bed. Knowing she'd forget about it if she hid it there. Leixia was grateful of any gift she'd receive, it's just she hated the fact Bohai was in her life.

Xianghua realized she couldn't fit anymore gift boxes onto the dresser, "Ah. Well since you're waiting three days I guess I'll just take the rest down here and put them up until then." Leixia nodded,

"Alright mother."

Xianghua noticed the grim tone in her voice, "Hm? Is everything okay?" She was hoping it wasn't the same question she hears every birthday, but it was,

"Do you think father is finally going to let me have a position in his army?" She had been waiting for this moment for two years, "Because every year you both say I'll start with a manual position and move up, but nothing ever happens."

Xianghua sighed, "We know Leixia, we haven't been keeping our words lately but you're our daughter, and you're just now becoming a woman." Leixia rolled her eyes, having to hear this 'lecture' again, "You should be worried about more womanly duties like who you'll pick as a husband, or-" wait, she'd never said _that _before.

"Wait, What?" Leixia cut her off, confused, "Who said anything about a husband?" Xianghua realized she should have waited to mention this…she tried to keep in a pleasant mood,

"Well…you see Leixia, once you're a woman, and since you're such a high rank, you should think about taking your place in the Emperor's palace and becoming one of his disciple's wives."

"No no!" she wined childishly, "I'm not that kind of woman, at least not _yet_." She wasn't angry, she wasn't sure what she was, she was definitely surprised, "I want to be a fighter, I want to save lives and be victorious!" she triumphantly declared, "You were one of the Emperor's royal guards, don't you want me to do the same?"

Xianghua understood the hypocrisy, but… "Leixia, it's a dangerous world out there-"

"You weren't that much older than me when you were in the search for the evil sword!" Leixia had a habit of not being able to hold her tongue, "I've trained just as much as you!"

Xianghua didn't reply, she didn't have a daughter back then, her mother was long passed by the time she was a royal guard, not knowing the uncertainty and worry a mother had for her child until now, "Leixia, I-"

"Mother!" a boy's voice called; it was Leixia's brother, Leixin, who was two years younger than her, "Father says he wants to see Leixia right away." The two were puzzled but followed him anyway. Yan Wujin was out in the hall, holding armor in his hands, Leixia didn't understand,

"Father, what is it?"

"Just a little birthday present."

Leixia was now more confused, "But…my birthday's 3 days from now." He laughed,

"Well, this one takes 3 days to complete." He handed her the armor, Leixia's expression changed to excitement as she had an idea of what it was, Xianghua's grew to worry, "Yan Leixia, I would like to draft you into the Chinese army, led by General Yan Wujin." He half-jokingly stated, "Will you take the position of the Junior Lieutenant?"

Leixia jumped for joy just as she did two years before, "YES!" She cried, literally jumping in her happiness, "YES YES YES!" She jumped into her father's arms gleefully, unaware of the frightened Xianghua.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

The ship Natsu was boarded on was getting close to docking. It had been a full 35 hours of sailing. Natsu looked through her bag of supplies. She packed plenty of food, sleeping packs, 200 yen Chie had given her to buy food if she needed, and a toothbrush with cleansing paste which she was using currently. She ignored how dry it was since she didn't have any water with her at the moment…and she couldn't exactly resort to salt water.

She finished brushing and simply attempted to stroke her thick wavy ponytail. Well, ponytails in this case. She was so close to China, the Ming Empire, so close to completing a step of finding her mother. Natsu stood up and looked at the water around her, the sea was so calm and beautiful. The other sailors on the ship were chatting quietly so nothing could disturb that peace. It had only been a day and she was already thinking about Chie, she missed her, but she knew she'd be alright. After all, she'd proven to have faith in her.

"Did you hear about the man who went berserk in the Holy Roman Empire?" she heard to men gossiping, she didn't mean to listen in but the conversation seemed familiar…

"You mean the king of Wolfkrone? He lost his mind years ago."

"No. A new man. I heard a man was hiding pieces of a valuable sword but they made him absolutely go nuts and he slaughtered at least 20 people."

Natsu's eyes widened, though she tried to act like she was paying attention to something else, "God, that's horrific. Isn't that the second epidemic to happen this year?"

"I believe so…You don't think that the Azure Knight is roaming the world again, do you?"

The man nodded in worry, "Lord, please protect us if he is."

Natsu wasn't comforted, she already knew she had to be careful…but something more dangerous was probably walking the earth without her knowledge.


	2. Festival of Horror

It wasn't until nightfall when the ship finally docked at the Ming Empire. They were in a city known as Tianjin, not too far from the capital. As Natsu exited the ship with her things she was intrigued by how similar China was to Japan. At least in the particular spot she was in, mainly lanterns on strings and venders selling food with busy people.

Though fairly similar, the people appeared distinctively different to that of a Japanese native; The Chinese natives had rounder faces than a Japanese native, who's faces are usually long and oval shaped. The only Japanese trait Natsu felt she had. Her eyes were also wider than the others, like most Japanese. She wasn't sure if that was because of her nationality, or just another part of her odd appearance. She hesitated to walk into the crowd; she'd be singled out for sure!

_"I made it this far, one single step and I can start looking for my mother." _She thought. It was a bold move, but she did it. She casually walked into the crowd, trying to look like she belonged. If her height, green eyes, and ginger hair didn't ruin it for her, her terrified expression sure would. It kept hitting her that she was alone. She didn't know a single soul in the Empire she was trekking through. _"Just stay calm…at least no one here thinks I'm a demon." _She reassured herself. It was better there than in Korea; Japan and Korea were in battle long ago. Natsu knew if she dared boarded a ship to the peninsula, she'd be thrown off into sea.

"Hey you!"

Natsu froze, her eyes looked left and right to find the male voice that called her, she then noticed it was a street vender at a stand for dim sung next to her, "Want to try our shrimp and basil dim sung?" she looked at the round, doughy treats. She was shy to answer,

"Oh um…I don't know. I don't think I have enough money."

The vender laughed, "Well that won't be a problem considering they're free." Natsu blushed,

"Oh…really?"

"Yeah, it's for our Welcoming Summer Food Festival. Weren't you aware?" he asked raising a brow.

Did he really think Natsu belonged there? Was it the lighting of the town making her appear different? Or maybe it was an international event. She stepped forward, "Um…alright." She picked one up and took a bite into it, it was spicy, not the spicy she was used to though. Natsu grew up eating Wasabi in her dishes; the kind of spicy that stimulated the sinus cavities. This spicy stimulated the tongue which made her mouth burn. It was delicious!

She swallowed, she smiled with relish, "This is just sensational!" She didn't realize how strange it seemed to the vender, but she'd never eaten something of this flavor before, "I mean, it makes my mouth sizzle and it kind of makes me want to drool, but I love it!" The vender was confused,

"Yes…Um…" He began to figure out she wasn't from around there, but he took the compliment anyway, "If you want to douse your mouth, there's a tea tasting-"

Natsu leapt with excitement, "They have tea here too?" She exclaimed in her giddiness.

"Yes…just a couple of stands away to your right."

"Oh yes!" Natsu began to loosen up and feel comfortable; the Ming Empire really wasn't that different from home. And she already loved the food. Maybe she could blend in for once. "Thank you sir!" she belted before rushing off.

Leixia wasn't present at the festival; it was too far of a walk from Luoyang. Despite this, the real reason she wasn't at the festival was because Xianghua had mentioned wanting to have "a long talk" with her and her father that night. It frustrated her as she vented to Leixin, "I don't understand. Why can't mother just accept I'm ready to be in the military?"

Leixin was looking through his sister's gifts, hoping there'd be something she could share with him. So far all he was finding were dresses and jewelry, not fitting for his tomboy of a sister, "Why doesn't anyone think of the little brother?"

Leixia was only farther agitated, "You're not listening! If you're old enough to attend a university, then surely I can join the army."

Leixin looked up at her, "I am listening. Sis, universities aren't exactly life-threatening. Mom's just worried that she might lose you." Leixin was 13 and in a university for a reason, he was very intelligent. And so was his sister. In fact, Leixia received the same offer at his age, but chose not to go.

"But father's a war general. She could lose him just as easily too."

"Well, I guess it's different for kids."

"We're not kids anymore, Leixin. I'm three…erm, two days away from being 15." She decided to drop that aggravation and move on to the next subject, "And plus, mother promised I could go to the Summer Festival." That in itself was another let down.

"Yeah, but that was before father said you could join the military." Leixin just didn't understand, she thought. He was never interested in swordplay and the army. She looked out her bedroom window. She had her long hair all nice in a Celestial Maiden style. _"Why not?"_ she thought, just one night of rebellion and nothing else. She grabbed her sword Ten Feet of Blue and stuffed it into her sheath, just in case she'd need it.

"Hey Leixin, do you want to do your big sis a favor?" she playfully asked. Leixin was frightened,

"Oh no. The last time you had me do a favor, I got a black eye!" The last favor he did was go on a 'date' with Bohai in Leixia's place. He was willing to do anything for his sister, but he was cautious since then.

"No! You don't even have to leave the house this time." She reassured, Leixin was worried at how easy this task would be, "Just cover for me."

"Leixia…you're not sneaking out to the festival, are you?" He asked even though he clearly knew the answer,

"It doesn't cost any money, and if I hurry, it won't take very long." She explained as she opened up her window, Leixin still had some concerns,

"But what about the 'long talk' mom wants to have?"

"Tell her I'm in the bath or…I don't know! You'll think of something." She hopped out of the window, landing on her feet. Before she could rush away from the palace, her brother called out of the window,

"But sis! How long will you be gone?" He could cover for her, but he wasn't sure for how long.

"I don't know. The walk is pretty far, maybe an hour or two?"

"Leixia!" It was too late as she darted off, he watched until she was no longer in sight. What would he do?

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Natsu had tried some of the most amazing green tea she had ever had in her life. She then simply walked around admiring the architecture. So many reds and golds. The clinking of china and the chatter of the people helped her drown out her worries as she lost herself in this new beautiful land. She suddenly stumbled as she walked into someone, a teenage girl and her two friends, she blushed,

"Oh, I'm sorry! I should've watched where I was going!" She was being overly apologetic as the girl didn't seem to care. Yet, the three were staring at her. She immediately knew what it was. The three girls were all pale and had dark brown hair (well, one of them black). "Um…what is it?" she asked anyway.

"Your hair." The girl she walked into replied. Natsu bashfully looked away,

"Oh well…yes, you see-"

The girl jumped up, trying to look at Natsu's roots, it scared her, but it more so confused her, "How did you get it that color?" she asked with slight envy, "It's so pretty!"

Natsu's face reddened even more, it contrasted with her surprised expression, "Oh…it's natural." She admitted. The girls gasped,

"No way! You're so lucky!"

"Orange is my favorite color!" Another spoke.

Natsu couldn't believe it; not only were the people here so kind and lively but they admired her unusual appearance. "You don't think it's weird?" She was still puzzled however.

"Are you kidding? It's so different it's cool!" Hopefully that was a compliment. Suddenly a womanly voice called out, it alerted the girls, "That's our mother, but hopefully one day I can look just like you one day!" The three walked off.

Natsu was befuddled. Was that a joke? Or were they honestly dazzled by her ginger-blonde hair? She knew it wasn't anything premeditated since she'd never met them before. It was her first night in the Empire for god's sake. Of course it was genuine! Natsu now liked this place even more. It was so full of life, maybe her mother _was _in the country somewhere. For all she knew, she could be at this festival right now…that was when she remembered she had to start tracking.

She was a Fu Ma ninja who killed demons…However, Taki's appearance probably wouldn't stand out in a place like this. Natsu frowned, "There's no way I can find my mother here. At least not easily." She thought aloud. She tried not to worry, her journey had just begun. She decided that tonight she'd enjoy herself in this new world.

Leixia had arrived at the festival. She was hoping no one would recognize her since almost everyone knew who she was. That was thanks to her father. She nonchalantly looked around, admiring the decorations and some of the people's outfits. She hoped not to bump into a male that was working for her father, not only would he threaten to spill, but he'd make her a disgusting deal to ensure he wouldn't. She shuddered at the thought.

"Okay, this has to be quick. Just a few free samples of food, then hurry home so Leixin doesn't lose his mind." She reminded herself, not used to sneaking out. She went to a stand directly behind Natsu, who was trying a black tea. It reminded her of Chie's tea. Which made her feel just a tad more at home. She suddenly heard a ruckus coming from nearby. It grabbed a ton of people's attention since conflict wasn't usual in that area.

The man wasn't speaking any coherent language, just mad rambling. He was yelling at a vender. Natsu's eyes and heart filled with fear, as it was painfully familiar to an event that took place not long ago at all. This time she had not one, but two faithful swords at least. It had caught Leixia's attention as well. She stared with intensity but also curiosity. She slowly unsheathed her sword. Natsu noticed the intimidating sword the girl next to her pulled out.

"Oh no…" she thought. The girl wasn't going to start a fight was she? Or maybe she was just preparing herself. The fact she owned a sword meant she was trained needless to say. The crowd was then struck with fear as it revealed itself as no man, but some sort of creature. It was a single eyeball with a skeletal structure of a human around it. It wielded a large, hilted sword. Strange blue flames surrounded it. The people ran and shoved trying to escape.

Natsu gasped, making sure no children were in any danger. That's when she saw the creature go to strike a bypasser. The girl next to her suddenly leaped out in fury, letting out a battle cry. She blocked the creature's large sword. The bypasser she had just saved ran.

Leixia's sword was holding out, her strength was not to be misjudged. However, the size of the thing's sword was making the block ever more difficult. Natsu couldn't let the girl's courage stand alone. She grabbed Awayuuki from its sheath. People too panicked to notice. Leixia was struggling; the pressure was growing more and more dense. She swerved the sword in order to keep her guard up but so she could also push to sword away. However, her trusted sword wasn't a match for the oversized weapon as it was forcefully knocked out of her hand, knocking her down as well.

The creature growled, Leixia tried to move quickly, but it was just quicker as it went to impale the young woman. However, neither one of them had Godspeed like Natsu as she threw herself in between the two, "STOP!" She cried. The combined shields of her weapon and the armor on her forearms were able to block him. Leixia looked up,

"What the…who are you?" she was confused. She wasn't in the military. There were no girls in the Chinese military, at least not after Xianghua resigned.

"Just grab your sword!" She demanded, knowing she was no stronger than the girl behind her when it came to blocking. He slowly began to weigh her down as she had to lean back. Leixia quickly crawled out of the creatures aim and grabbed her sword's handle. Natsu was knocked to the ground. As the creature went to strike, she rolled out of his reach. Not having the strength to leap back up.

The creature was distracted, focusing on Natsu, that's when Leixia struck from behind, hitting the only spot that looked vulnerable, the eyeball. A loud moan of agony alerted the civilians that the creature was defeated. It was a graphic sight. It began to fall forward, Natsu suddenly jumped up in disgust as she stood out of its way. The creature's body and its sword suddenly grew flames. The girls and the crowd around them watched it turn to ash and disappear. It was an allusion of a monster. The terror it struck was quite real though.

The people around them chattered in confusion. They couldn't study the body; it no longer existed! This event certainly wouldn't be forgotten however. The two heroes panted. Both bruised and dirty. Their hearts were both pounding. Natsu was down to her knees, her limbs suddenly ached. She still wasn't used to this 'warrior' thing. Leixia looked at Natsu with both gratefulness, and confusion. Who was she? She definitely wasn't from around there. She looked at her sword she still had in her hand. A kodachi. Those were rare in China, Leixia wielded a Jian. A long blade.

Natsu finally caught her breath, she looked back at Leixia, "Are you alright?"

Leixia was still confused, "Yeah…you don't look so good though." Natsu stood back up,

"I'll be okay."

Leixia panicked as she realized something, "Oh God!" Natsu was worried again, was she hurt?

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm all dirty now. I mean, it's a good cost but, how will I hide that I snuck out of home?" she asked herself. She wouldn't have cared if her parents knew she was out, speaking of her parents…

"You won't have to." A frighteningly familiar voice said behind her, Xianghua was on a horse, Leixia jumped away.

"Oh…hello mother."

Natsu didn't say a word, this wasn't her situation.

Xianghua was stern, "Remember that long talk we were supposed to have tonight?" She sarcastically scolded, "Well, we're about to have a longer one." Leixia went ahead and shamefully hopped on the horse, holding onto her mother. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could get mad at her brother for not covering for her. As they rode off, the people's attention turned to Natsu, who was still exhausted. She put Awayuuki back into its sheath; not wanting to stand out even farther.

"What was that creature?" A man asked, hoping she had any information.

"I'm not sure." She answered honestly.

A woman panicked, "You don't think it's The Azure Knight?"

Her husband reassured her, "Don't worry, if the Azure Knight has returned, The Man in Crystal Amor will too."

Chie had told Natsu the reign of terror was over…but it seemed a new one was beginning.


	3. Family: The Good and The Bad

Leixia's arms were wrapped tightly around Xianghua's waist during the bumpy ride home. Her sword's handle kept jabbing her hip, making this not only emotionally, but physically uncomfortable. The rumbling of thunder didn't help the mood either, though it was fitting. The horse began to slow its galloping as they approached the palace. Her father was standing at the entrance with a cross expression, her brother, a worried expression. The two hopped off of Xianghua's horse as she tugged at Leixia's arm, dragging her towards the front steps.

She pushed Leixia forward in front of Yan Wujin, "Alright young lady, you've got a lot of explaining to do, so start!" Leixia had never seen her so angry…in fact, she was sure she'd never even seen her mother _angry_! She couldn't bring herself to look in her father's eyes,

"Mother…Father…I-I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have snuck out-" she stuttered when she was nervous, Xianghua still had to verbally process her rage,

"Do you know how worried you had us?" She scolded, during so, Leixia shot Leixin an angry look, which Xianghua noticed, "Don't get mad at your brother. He's not the one who told us."

"Then who?" she still couldn't look at either of her parents.

"Me. I saw you running away from the palace. I didn't even want to believe that you were doing something so _stupid_,but you were!"

Did they even know she saved someone from a strange demon? She'd best not mention it; she'd probably get in more trouble. "I'm sorry." She bowed to her father, "I was just frustrated…" she figured telling the truth wouldn't get her in any _more _trouble, "I mean…" She finally looked up at Yan Wujin, "I knew mother was going to talk about how she didn't want me to be in the army. And this was something she promised she'd take me to." She explained, referring to the festival, she wasn't sure what to say next, she looked away from her father, "Am I…am I still going to be in the army?"

Her mother scoffed, "Leixia! Don't you realize what you've done comes with consequences?"

"Indeed it does." Yan Wujin calmly responded, he sympathetically chinned up his daughter, clearly remorseful for what she had done, "And this punishment will be that you don't come to my training sessions for a few days." Leixia perked up in confusion,

"Wait…does that mean…?"

"As of your birthday, you'll still be in the military."

Xianghua winced in both confusion and anger, "Thank you father! I promise I won't disappoint you!"

"Absolutely not!" Xianghua was infuriated, Yan Wujin tried to keep her calm,

"Xianghua, please…this isn't-"

"This isn't what?" She furiously asked, "Our daughter did something very wrong yet you're still rewarding her?" Leixia looked away shamefully, Leixin put a hand on her shoulder,

"You two go in the house and get to rest. It's very late." The two nodded, Xianghua was too angry to think rationally and threw in one last jab,

"This isn't over Leixia! DO YOU HEAR ME?" She just wasn't herself…something was wrong, even their father was worried about her,

"Xianghua…this isn't you!" She even tried to run towards her children, he held her back. Her words were stabbing Leixia in the heart. It was more painful than an iron blade.

"YOU'RE A DISREPECTFUL BRAT! UNDERSTAND ME?" The children were gone, but not before Leixia heard that last part. Yan Wujin went to his last resort and smacked her. There was another rumble of thunder,

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

Xianghua suddenly was aware of her surroundings, she rubbed her cheek which was reddened from her husband's slap, "Yan…why did you…?" She stopped when she realized the children were nowhere in sight, "Where are the kids?" Had she not realized what she was saying?

"They're inside…you said something very hurtful to our daughter…"

Xianghua welted up with guilt, tearful, "What…I didn't mean it whatever I said." She couldn't remember. Did she snap? The last time she snapped was on her last journey with _him_. Wujin wrapped his arms around her and escorted her inside,

"It'll be alright. Now come, it's going to rain."

Leixin comforted his heart-broken sister as she wept into her pillow, he gently rubbed her back, "Sis, it's alright." Leixia was gasping for air as she her throat felt swollen. Her face was red from the sorrow, "Mother was just angry. I'm sure she didn't mean any of it." She kept her face hidden,

"Why is she so hard on me? If father understands I'm capable of joining the military then surely she can too." Leixin gulped, he was filled with suffocating guilt,

"If you want to know the truth, it's my fault she was upset to begin with."

"How?" She inhaled, trying to breathe, "You didn't do anything wrong." She assured him, full of self-hatred. That's when he pulled out a small box from his jacket,

"Actually, here." Leixia looked up at the box, her vision was blurred and she had a headache from her crying, "This is your birthday present from me…I showed it to mother and…she wasn't exactly herself since then." She sat upright and opened the box, it was a pendant set with a blue stone. It was beautiful. She read on the strings attached to it, **德瓦帕拉尤加**, "Dvapara-Yuga". It seemed it was meant to be a necklace.

"Leixin…where did you find this?" asked, starting to calm down. It was in fact a strange explanation,

"I was on my way home from the university…" The university, though not far from their home, required to follow a path through the woods. He explained how on the way back, he felt as though someone was following him, so he kept on guard. That was when he saw the pendant hanging from a tree. It wasn't there when he passed through that morning.

He thought it was perfect for his sister's gift. He took it home and wrapped it up with care. Leixia still didn't understand, "But why did this make mom so upset?"

He shrugged, "Who knows? All I can say is that she was being her usual smiling self, but once I showed it to her…" he remembered their mother's sudden change in behavior. She looked petrified the moment she saw the stone. It's as if she'd seen it before.

"Oh…but still," She sniffled, "It's beautiful. I love it Leixin." She put it around her neck, she teared up again as she looked at him, "You know…you really are the best brother in the whole wide world." She hugged him, still emotional from the previous events. He buried his face into her shoulder, tightly embracing. It began to downpour meanwhile.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Natsu wasn't so lucky when it came to the weather. She was hiding underneath the awning of someone's house. She was freezing. She shivered and shook as she tightly wrapped herself in her arms. Her leg was in horrible pain, it must've been bruised or something during the fight. She was scared again,

_"Oh God…where do I go now?" _she thought, horrified, _"I shouldn't have left home…I'll never find my mother…" _not to mention the world was being attacked by demons. Her teeth chattered as the rain just got heavier with time. She thought about just boarding another ship and heading home. She'd be back in a familiar bed, with a loving woman to take care of her…But she'd be letting herself down if she did that. She toughened up, _"No…I'm not giving up yet. I saved that girl today. Maybe this is my destiny." _She couldn't stop thinking about that courageous girl, her strong will; she didn't even hesitate to attack the monster, even though it nearly meant death. She wished she could see the girl again in order to praise her more appropriately.

She went back to shivering when a sudden light shined on her, "Hey!" A man called. He was holding a lantern mechanized with a candle inside. A woman was behind him. Natsu froze in fear. She was trespassing on their property,

"What are you doing out here?"

She grabbed her backpack next to her, "I'm-I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have been here. I just didn't want to get wet!" The man's expression seemed more worried rather than angry, as did the woman,

"Then why didn't you just come inside?"

"Eh?" Natsu just wasn't used to this kindness, not even back at home was she used to it.

The woman spoke, "Don't feel bad, just come in! You'll catch a cold!" The next thing Natsu knew was she was inside of their brightly lit home. It was so much cozier and warmer than the storm outside. Obviously. She was dripping wet and shivering. The woman put Natsu's bag aside and brought her to the hallway, "Poor thing, you're shivering."

Natsu didn't want to complain, after all, she was grateful enough they even offered her to come inside, "It's alright. I'll be okay."

The woman handed her a towel, "Nonsense. Here, you dry off and I'll get you some comfier clothes." The man was suddenly behind her,

"There's some egg drop soup fresh and hot if you want any."

Natsu loved soup! However, she still felt nervous and rude, "Oh…That's alright." She wrapped herself in the towel, "I don't want to be any more of a burden." She blushed.

The man nodded, not surprised by her shyness, "That's crazy talk. We invited you to come inside." The woman had returned with dry clothes,

"He's right; you're no trouble at all."

Natsu gently smiled, her eyes gleaming with appreciation. Oh how the people around her were so kind. It healed her heart which was injured by discrimination for so long. She dried herself in their washroom and changed. It was a white kimono which belonged to the woman. It fit her nicely. Dinner however was…confusing. She didn't eat on the floor. They had chairs and a taller table. At least they had chopsticks which Natsu was used to. However, they were eating soup, which only required a large spoon.

Egg drop was Natsu's favorite. However, she refrained from pigging out in front of them. Still getting comfortable with the two, she carefully and quietly sipped, the rain was still audible. The man spoke, "So, what was a young girl like yourself doing out alone in the rain?" Natsu sat her spoon down,

"Oh…well…" she trailed off as the woman asked her a question,

"What was that bag for…you're not running away, are you?" she asked with care,

"Well…It's not that I'm running away. It's that I'm…" Natsu feared they wouldn't believe her, "I'm searching for my mother." The two were stunned.

"You mean. You're traveling by yourself! Who raised you?"

Natsu couldn't help with the blushing that night, "I was raised by a surrogate mother. It was my idea to come searching for my real mother though…"

"Are you from around here?" The man asked.

"No…I'm Japanese." The two were confused, mainly due to her orange hair and green eyes, "I know I look strange for one, but I am. I sailed here to look through the continent for her."

The woman was still worried, "But isn't that dangerous?"

Natsu nodded, "Yes…but I'm willing to take this risk and do whatever it takes to find her."

The pair admired her resilience, the man spoke, "Well, let's not keep you uncomfortable, I'm Liu Wei, and this is my sister, Zhang Li."

"Though, I prefer just Li."

Natsu slowly crawled out of her shell, "I'm Natsu." She bowed in her chair, not the Chinese way with her hands clasped, but simply with her arms at her sides, "Thank you for taking care of me." She could hear the noises outside getting quieter, Liu Wei pointed it out,

"It seems the rain is letting up."

Natsu became a bit more open, "Well, once it clears up, I'll be on my way." Li denied it,

"Mmm Mm. Someone who's had such a long journey needs her sleep…please don't feel like you have to go." Natsu still felt burdening to the siblings,

"You're not asking me to stay the night…are you?"

Li was openly honest with the young girl, "Well, I'd feel better knowing you were resting safe and sound here."

Liu Wei could tell Natsu was old enough to decide for herself, but he felt the same, "We have an extra room, so you'll have privacy."

Natsu just couldn't take the generosity; her cheeks just felt hotter and hotter, "Oh…I mean, it's a sweet thing to offer-"

Li playfully cut her off, "Then it shouldn't be a problem." She giggled. Natsu smiled. She was growing to like Li. She was so cheerful.

After dinner, the three said grace for their meal, as Liu Wei forgot to say it earlier. Natsu still couldn't open up completely. She was never really 'open' with anyone. Not even Chie. She still felt she was boxed up somehow. Li stood up, "While my brother does the dishes like he was supposed to last night…" She paused awaiting his abashed response, "I'll show you your room." Natsu nodded,

"Alright." She pushed her chair out but as she went to follow the young woman there was a suddenly a sharp, stabbing pain in her leg. She grunted in shock as she fell to the floor. The two were at her sides,

"Are you okay?" Liu Wei yelled in worry. Natsu just didn't see the pain coming, she tried to answer without sounding strained,

"I'm fine…it's my leg." The two checked. Li gasped in horror to see a gaping wound. Natsu's leg must've been sliced open when she was rolling out of the opponents reach. She must've not realized it since it wasn't exactly spewing blood at the time. Li brought her to the guest room and sat her on the bed. She put some rubbing alcohol on the wound. The beds were different too; they were wider and set on boards so they weren't on the ground.

"Does it sting too much?" Li asked.

"No, it's alright." Natsu couldn't help but feel as though she had done wrong. She was thankful that Li didn't ask how she got the cut in the first place. "My care taker back at home would just bandage my wounds." Li looked up in curiosity, "She knew it would get dirty over time so she'd keep replacing them every so often…which made the wounds take longer to heal." She loved Chie, but she knew nothing about medics.

Li didn't hear that part though, "You've had more injuries like this?" Natsu was put on the spot, she couldn't make anything up.

"Yes…" Li knew she couldn't ask, not wanting to get too personal.

"Well don't worry." She smiled, "This will help it keep from getting infected without having to constantly change the bandages. She wrapped the cut in white gauze. "There. Good as new." She giggled, Natsu giggled too. That's when Li noticed something else, "Your hair is just gorgeous."

People there really seemed to like the color, "You think so?" she pulled at a streak of it, "It's really ratty." Li smiled, joking about her own hair, which was dark brown and chin length,

"Well at least yours has a style to it. Mine just sits here and makes me look ridiculous." She joked pulling at both sides of her hair. The two began to laugh. Natsu had never bonded this way with Chie before…was this what it was like to have a mother…to have a family? She felt so secure around this woman who was still a complete stranger. Natsu then had no doubts about the connection she would make once she found Taki. Li went to blow out the candle in the room,

"You get some rest now. You have a long journey ahead…well, at least you told us." She playfully added. Natsu couldn't stop smiling, she loved it,

"Li…" Li paused as she closed the door, "Thank you. Thank you for letting me stay." Li smiled motherly,

"It's not a problem for a girl as brave as you." Li closed the door and let her have some privacy before she rested.


	4. Friends

Leixia prepared herself for the long journey ahead of her. She didn't know what it was but something made her lust for escape. She was tired of being treated like a child, especially with the conflict that occurred earlier. To make matters worse, that wasn't the end of it;

Once Leixia was done sobbing, she had gone to speak with her mother upon Yan Wujin's request, "Leixia," Xianghua spoke, "I want you to know that I accept your father's decision to let you in the army," Leixia knew that unfortunately there was another end of this deal, "But…I have something to show you." She was right. Leixia followed her into the other room, where a familiar young man stood, Bohai.

"Mother…" She already was disgusted by Bohai, but now he was in her home!

"It won't be a problem; I've arranged the plans for you to be wed soon."

That was the last straw, "YOU ARRANGED A MARRIAGE AFTER MY BIRTHDAY?" She was more than angry, she was full of resentment; she _hated _her mother, "I can't believe you'd do this!"

"Come on Leixia," Bohai stepped toward her with a rather smug attitude, "It'll be great. Our children will be pretty cute." Leixia forcefully shoved him away,

"I'll never marry you!" She dashed out of the room, she just wanted to enter her room, slam her door, and maybe slash something up with her sword. But Xianghua caught up to her, now in the main hall of their palace, Yan Wujin and Leixin were there,

"Leixia, please! This won't be so bad. And plus, you'll still be in the army."

She wasn't about to listen to the woman who was planning to give away her daughter so easily, "Father! Please do something."

Yan Wujin nodded, "Your mother and I agreed on this. If you're going to be in the army, she wants someone there to protect you."

Leixia just couldn't believe it, both her parents were against her, "Protect…I can take care of myself! And father, _you're _the general!" She cried.

Her father tried to be fair, "Well…if you don't want to get married now, we can always wait. You two are very young and-"

Not Bohai. She thought, "I want to marry someone I love, not someone who charmed my parents!" Let alone she didn't even _want _to be married in the first place, she just wanted to be an army general. No 15 year old should go through this.

Xianghua tried to reason with her, tapping her shoulder, Leixia shoved her hand away, "This is all your fault! I'll never forgive you!"

_NEVER FORGIVE…_

_ Never Forgive…_

_ never forgive…_

Those words echoed in Leixia's head like a curse. She hadn't seen any of her family since…it was before dawn when she had made up her mind. She sheathed Ten Feet of Blue onto her waist and bailed it. She climbed out of her window and went around behind the palace; none of the guards were ever there. Her decision was rather spontaneous; she had no food, no water. She was too preoccupied with escaping her fate. She would be a warrior somewhere else. Somewhere _far_.

Where no one would find her.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

The sun shone brightly that morning; revealing mucky puddles of rain water and leaves on trees soaking wet. Natsu was wide awake that morning, she rinsed her hair in their running bath water, which was cold but very practical for bathing. Li helped her squeeze the water out before towel drying it, "Are you sure you don't want to let it air dry?"

Natsu smiled, "Nah. Besides, towel dry is shinier." She hated to leave, but there was so much more of the world to explore; and she knew she had a chance of finding her mother. This was Li's last favor to her. She redressed herself in her bodysuit with her swords in there sheaths. She tied Chie's ribbon back on her thigh. She noticed the bandage still on her leg.

She went to remove it when Li quickly grabbed her wrist, "Don't touch that. It'll need a few more days."

"Oh…sorry."

As she was at the front doors wishing them goodbye, Liu Wei offered her a care package, they were onigiri, rice balls. Which were popular in Japan as well.

"I want to thank you two for everything. I don't think I'd be able to continue without your hospitality."

Liu Wei chuckled, "Hospitality? That's formal."

"Just be careful out there…" Li reminded, "Not all people out there are as nice as us."

Boy did Natsu know that, "I know. I will."

She bowed to them (in the Japanese style once again) and left. The town seemed strange un-crowded that morning. It was so quiet, unlike the night before. The festival's decorations hadn't been taken down yet. China was so large it'd take weeks just to get out of there. Probably longer! Maybe she could get on another boat…but she'd have to find a new port. God, this was difficult. Maybe she'd just go with the flow until she thought of something.

She decided maybe a treck through the woods would help. As long as she was getting closer to the Dynasty's border. They had bamboo forests like in Japan, they were tall and the sun's rays beamed in between each stem. It wasn't silent though, birds were chirping and insects were buzzing. It made the treck strangely less stressful for her. She was too busy admiring the scenery instead of thinking,

"_Come on, don't get distracted." _She thought, _"I'm not on vacation, I'm looking for my mother…and with the size of this place…it's probably impossible." _She began to doubt herself again when she heard a nearby rustling. It was unsettling as she quickly grabbed Awayuuki's handle, not equipping it just yet. She kept silent as she waited for another sound. She suddenly heard the noise of scraping metal, like someone was equipping their sword.

Her senses quickly informed her of the rapid footsteps approaching as she whirled around. She was face to face with a familiar stranger as they both pushed against each other's weight.

The girl in front of her was no longer alarmed, "You…" She said widening her shiny brown eyes. Leixia couldn't take much more stress; she was already dealing with weakness and hunger pains. She put her sword away as Natsu saw this as a pleasant surprise,

"You're the girl from the festival!" she praised, "You were so amazing! The way you jumped out of the blue and saved that man!" Leixia was too tired to be humbled; she'd been on the run for hours, while her body was on the run for years, "I mean…sure, you got knocked over and almost died…" Natsu noted, "But still! You were amazing!" she noticed Leixia's lethargic appearance, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She lied as she clenched her stomach which felt like it was replaced by an empty hole, "Just a little hungry." Natsu was admiring the beautiful pendant Leixia had on her collar, but she immediately responded with a cheerful attitude,

"Oh, don't worry, I have food." Leixia suddenly perked up. She didn't care what it was, she'd eat a live reptile if she had to. Natsu pulled out a piece of sweetbread, "Here, this for-" She was cut off when the girl snatched the bread from her, gnawing at it as if it was all she'd ever eat again.

"you…um…" Natsu wasn't sure where to go now… "So…what's your name?"

Leixia swallowed with relish, her stomach delighted, "Yan Leixia." She formally introduced. Natsu didn't quite understand,

"So…Yan?"

Leixia nodded, figuring she knew what that meant, "No. Yan is my family name, you address me as Leixia."

"Oh." Natsu moaned in realization, "I get it. Leixia." She liked the flow of that name, "My name is Natsu. I'm from Fu Ma no Sato, Japan."

_Japan?_

"So…you're _not _from around here."

"Not at all, but this place isn't that much different from home. It's much bigger though."

Leixia could agree with that, "Yeah. I've lived here my whole life and I still haven't seen the entire dynasty."

Natsu wondered, "How old are you?" She had a strange curiosity of it.

Her birthday was in a few hours…whatever, "I'm 15. I'm now a woman."

"Heh, that's funny. I'm 17…though, I'll be 18 in a few weeks." She didn't quite understand why Natsu suddenly got a worried look on her face when she said 18.

She also didn't understand one other thing, "What's a Japanese girl doing all the way here anyway?"

Natsu still wasn't used to explaining this, "Oh…um…I'm looking for my mother."

Oh god…she was already being reminded, "Oh…is that so?"

"Yeah…she is living west of Japan, that's why I came here."

Leixia laughed at the irony, "That's funny; I'm running away from mine."

Natsu didn't want to pry into her personal life, but she was surprised, "Ah-Oh…really?"

"Better believe it," She sat down, leaning against a tree, "I just want to get as far away from here as possible, I never want her to find me."

Natsu felt sympathy for the girl, despite she didn't look discontent at all with her situation, "So, how did you and your mother become separated in the first place?"

Not this…Natsu just couldn't find any other way to explain, "Well…" She sat down next to her, "Leixia…Um…" Leixia raised a brow, noting how open she was just a minute ago, "You see…I was taken away from my mother because…" She put her right hand on her left shoulder, "There's a demon dwelling inside of me."

Awkward silence filled the air, as the atmosphere of what she just said made it even more awkward. Leixia just stared, her expression didn't change a bit, and then she responded.

"Cool."

…

"Wait…cool?" Natsu didn't expect _that_.

"Well sure, I mean, if you can't do anything about it, just admire it. Like for example, this kid I knew growing up, she had some strange mental disease." Natsu was all ears, "I knew it wasn't her fault because she was born with it, but the kids would all make fun of her. But I told her how cool she was because she had something nobody else did."

Natsu smiled, "Oh, so she ended up pulling through, right?"

Leixia's smile disappeared, "Well…no, she was beaten to death."

"…"

"What?" Natsu shuddered; Leixia realized her words weren't helpful, "Hey, it'll be fine. Nobody knows but me."

"But Leixia…when I turn 18, the demon will take over my body. That's why I know I have to find my mother, she'll be able to do something." She hoped.

Leixia felt sorry for the poor girl in front of her, she had to assist her somehow…she noticed, Natsu would be traveling far away from China… "Why don't I help you find your mother?" She smiled cheerfully.

"Really?" The two stood up, "You'd be willing to do that?"

"Of course." Leixia responded, "In the meantime, I'll be able to get far away from China, and you'll be able to keep looking for her…if that makes sense." It was a win-win.

Natsu understood what she was inferring, "But…wait, what if you just want to hurt me?"

Leixia was befuddled, "Hurt you? Why would I do that? We're friends."

Friend? "W-We are?" Leixia grabbed her hand and dragged her forward, anxiously determined to leave the country,

"Of course! Now let's go! It's going to be a long journey."

Natsu didn't know this feeling. Despite she was being dragged through the woods by a young Chinese girl, she felt warm and happy. She had someone she wanted to look out for, to protect.

She had a friend. She was more ready than ever to keep that friend.


End file.
